Benchrest stock makers

[longbow]

I built a modular aluminum stock for heavy class 20 years ago.All bolted together,A real classic. Wish i had pics.when I upgraded computer lost them all......

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Back in the 80's we had all aluminum SRBR stocks. I seem to remember they were not competitive and swiftly died out.

That doesn't suprise me. There's a handful I have been around and they weren't winning. When playing with stock fills in my LRB there was differences in how they would act. I think the best version was the ones I had them do foam in the forend. They dampened better I believe. Some of the best rifles I built were on those. Jim Borden always wanted that version too. Jim and I were on the same page with stock design. We both preferred stocks with a little more give on the forend. Unfortunately a lot of guys have in their head stiffer is better. So many stayed away from that fill. I have built a lot of br rifles and tested the different stocks on my rifles. No one is convincing me you need a super stiff stock. Actually my new stock is even softer that those were. I was actually concerned about it. Best shooting rifle I have ever seen. That give and dampening is probably why the aluminum stocks never caught on.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

That doesn't suprise me. There's a handful I have been around and they weren't winning. When playing with stock fills in my LRB there was differences in how they would act. I think the best version was the ones I had them do foam in the forend. They dampened better I believe. Some of the best rifles I built were on those. Jim Borden always wanted that version too. Jim and I were on the same page with stock design. We both preferred stocks with a little more give on the forend. Unfortunately a lot of guys have in their head stiffer is better. So many stayed away from that fill. I have built a lot of br rifles and tested the different stocks on my rifles. No one is convincing me you need a super stiff stock. Actually my new stock is even softer that those were. I was actually concerned about it. Best shooting rifle I have ever seen. That give and dampening is probably why the aluminum stocks never caught on.

One of the best long range stocks i ever had is a mcmillan f-class that vibrates for a few seconds after each shot like a diving board. It has foam fill in the front and regular in the back.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

When Kelly still owned McMillan he would make me anything I asked for to test. From different fills to carbon fiber in different areas to play with flex. The only think he said no to was Kevlar. I had a feeling that would have shot best but who knows. Most of the time he'd make one up quick. Not even bother with a gel coat or to fill air pockets. No charge for any that were for testing. Back then he still believed in the stiffer stocks. But i do think he changed his mind and applied some of that to the Kestros. Without him I would never have been able to try all that. He was a real friend to BR, I sure miss him.

 

[LVLAaron]

One of the best long range stocks i ever had is a mcmillan f-class that vibrates for a few seconds after each shot like a diving board. It has foam fill in the front and regular in the back.

My Kestros FR is like that. I think any of them that aren't carbon fiber will be that way.

 

[Mike Montgomery]

When Kelly still owned McMillan he would make me anything I asked for to test. From different fills to carbon fiber in different areas to play with flex. The only think he said no to was Kevlar. I had a feeling that would have shot best but who knows. Most of the time he'd make one up quick. Not even bother with a gel coat or to fill air pockets. No charge for any that were for testing. Back then he still believed in the stiffer stocks. But i do think he changed his mind and applied some of that to the Kestros. Without him I would never have been able to try all that. He was a real friend to BR, I sure miss him.

What style of construction or fill did you find to be the most accurate?
Mike

 

[22turborimfire]

Yep I do miss Mr Leonard. I reached out a little over a year ago trying to get a LR stock made with wood and carbon fiber I was very flexible with the price but no one wanted to tackle the project .The couple I reached out to never showed any interest or called me back. I've owned many Leonard stocks , 1 Hunter stock and I'm sure we could have come to some agreement on building and cost.I would always send Terry a blank of Claro of his measurements and year year and a half I'd get the stock I was looking for. Rest in peace Terry I enjoyed your labor of Love.
Alex I remember one of your rifles caught my eye about a year or so ago . I believe that had a Hunter stock on it . From the pictures it was sharp looking.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Yep I do miss Mr Leonard. I reached out a little over a year ago trying to get a LR stock made with wood and carbon fiber I was very flexible with the price but no one wanted to tackle the project .The couple I reached out to never showed any interest or called me back. I've owned many Leonard stocks , 1 Hunter stock and I'm sure we could have come to some agreement on building and cost.I would always send Terry a blank of Claro of his measurements and year year and a half I'd get the stock I was looking for. Rest in peace Terry I enjoyed your labor of Love.
Alex I remember one of your rifles caught my eye about a year or so ago . I believe that had a Hunter stock on it . From the pictures it was sharp looking.

I did build on one of Roys stocks about a year ago. It was beautiful. I have one more in the works, a LV.

 

[Schippergreg]

Tracker Stocks...Doyle Anglin out of Winder ,GA. did/does all the Tracker Stocks for Bill Shehane.He has done five stocks for me so far,excellent the stock needs very little sandind.Will do trigger guard also if specified. He has other patterns also. I'm very happy with the Tracker style.
I bought the last of the Obeche Indian Blanket wood a couple years ago,have enough for a couple more stocks.Its an eye catcher! Heres a Koa wood he did also.I had this wood for over 20 years stuffed away. 20+ hand rubbed coats.The last one Ziricote,another wood I stock piled and I'm working on.Drop a PM for Doyles number.Pete

I’m fortunate enough to own a Terry Leonard Koa stocked hv rifle. Koa is a beautiful wood.

 

[D Coots]

Yep I do miss Mr Leonard. I reached out a little over a year ago trying to get a LR stock made with wood and carbon fiber I was very flexible with the price but no one wanted to tackle the project .The couple I reached out to never showed any interest or called me back. I've owned many Leonard stocks , 1 Hunter stock and I'm sure we could have come to some agreement on building and cost.I would always send Terry a blank of Claro of his measurements and year year and a half I'd get the stock I was looking for. Rest in peace Terry I enjoyed your labor of Love.
Alex I remember one of your rifles caught my eye about a year or so ago . I believe that had a Hunter stock on it . From the pictures it was sharp looking.

Terry built great stocks. Great guy. I was fortunate to visit his shop a few years ago.

His business is the prime example of the times. A turn-key business and no one had the gumption to take it over.

If the price of stocks were 50% higher, would there be more interest in producing them?


Later
Dave

 

[AlNyhus]

The truth of it is that when you walk away from that lathe to do a stock, you just cut your pay in half or worse. So, the problem will continue until that changes. You can call around to any of the really good smtihs, the ones doing really good inlets and flawless bedding jobs.

Alex, I think 95% of people just can't comprehend how much time and effort is required to produce bedding that allows the barrelled action to show its true accuracy potential. Fewer yet would pay as much for this work as what it costs to fit and chamber a barrel....including the price of the barrel!

Good shootin' -Al

 

[joshb]

My best friend growing up worked for Scoville for I think 7 or 8 years building stocks in Michigan before he moved to Canada. I have seen that whole process on what they did to build those. I have seen the entire process of Roy Hunter building his stocks also. I tried to get my friend to stay in the stock business and expand into long range. I was also seriously considering taking over Roys stock building operation. Neither of those stocks are made on a duplicator or a cnc router. There is considerable skill and time involved in making stocks like that. Not to mention the tooling costs and finding sources for the appropriate wood. Its not just any pretty wood. It has to be light for the LV stocks and be dried properly. When you look at what those guys got for a finished stock, theres no way in hell a guy is quitting his day job to get into that business. It was a passion for those guys and they were not having to feed their families on making stocks. McMillan just did a cost analysis on all their stocks. Not all of them went up in price. But mine tripled. Same with most BR stocks. You can find a guy on every corner to chamber a barrel. But try to find a really good stock guy. Why? The truth of it is that when you walk away from that lathe to do a stock, you just cut your pay in half or worse. So, the problem will continue until that changes. You can call around to any of the really good smtihs, the ones doing really good inlets and flawless bedding jobs. If you can even find one that will inlet a flat top stock and do the whole build. Ask them if they will stock your barreled action. I know what they will say.

This is spot on. When I started making stocks, I considered doing it as a business. I did my best to do them as fast as I could and it still took about 40 hours to do one. I was still trying to speed up the process when a member here asked me to do a stock for him. I did it and only asked him to make a donation to the site for my effort. When he got the stock, he started complaining that the action screws rubbed In their holes and he could have bought a stock from Stocky’s for $200. I don’t know what he finally donated, but that was it for me. I spent 30 years doing construction jobs for finicky demanding clients. I wasn’t going to spend another minute listening to people whine and complain about my work.

 

[longbow]

All I can say.If you want a certain style stock,even if you have to send Doyle one of your stocks to duplicate from .He does excellent work.I'm with you Josh,I have roughed out stocked ,made my own patterns,it takes TIME! My hands dont to so well anymore so to have one come to me almost ready is a blessing now.......
I sold my Don Allen duplicator off years back what A machine

 

[Trophied]

Volunteers are the most abused people in the world and there's always another one to replace someone that decides to walk away. All for free. My wife sometimes asks me why I don't volunteer for SOMETHING. My response is why suffer that kind of treatment for free, and it really isn't free, it always costs the volunteer in one way or another. Now anything I volunteer to do is only for a close friend.

 

[AlNyhus]

This is spot on. When I started making stocks, I considered doing it as a business. I did my best to do them as fast as I could and it still took about 40 hours to do one. I was still trying to speed up the process when a member here asked me to do a stock for him. I did it and only asked him to make a donation to the site for my effort. When he got the stock, he started complaining that the action screws rubbed In their holes and he could have bought a stock from Stocky’s for $200. I don’t know what he finally donated, but that was it for me. I spent 30 years doing construction jobs for finicky demanding clients. I wasn’t going to spend another minute listening to people whine and complain about my work.

Nothing scarier to a accuracy 'smith than a customer that wants to do their own stock and bedding work.

 

[JimPag]

I’m fortunate enough to own a Terry Leonard Koa stocked hv rifle. Koa is a beautiful wood.

Yup me to. Master Grade 5A to be exact.

 

[AlNyhus]

​

"It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required." -Winston Churchill​

 

[AlNyhus]

Volunteers are the most abused people in the world and there's always another one to replace someone that decides to walk away. All for free. My wife sometimes asks me why I don't volunteer for SOMETHING. My response is why suffer that kind of treatment for free, and it really isn't free, it always costs the volunteer in one way or another.

Like doing something for basically the cost of materials, then getting stiffed for that and shipping....

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I don’t mind doing my own stock work and taking the time to do it right. And it does take a LOT of time. I don’t like doing stock work for other people because there’s no way I can charge them all the time it takes to do it right. I can go out and charge $80-$100 to do electrical work on a house or business and the customer is happy as a pig in shit! But nobody would ever pay that rate for the actual amount of hours a person has to put in a stock

 

[urbanrifleman]

@Dusty Stevens
I have two in stock now. One Grey and one blue. Just arrived. $399 each. 16 more on the way.